Smile
by i-write-ff-to-procrastinate
Summary: Weisz loses his arm... and adjusting to the "new normal" may take some time.


_Day One_

Rebecca was still trying to process what had just happened in the split moment of silence after a terrible, blood-curdling _crunching _sound. And then Weisz screamed. The sound almost made her heart stop. _What… what was that noise? _The screaming continued. Rebecca scrambled to her feet, even as Happy reached to try and stop her. And without any thought of her own safety, she scrambled towards him, through the maze of scrap metal. She stumbled over rubble, scraping her knees and hands. He was just around the corner. She heard his screams die out just as she came around to see a terrible sight.

"W-Weisz! W-w-w…" She took in a shaking breath and dashed to his side. His whole body was tense, his eyes rolling back, and before she even had time to let him know she was there—he slipped away into unconsciousness. "W-w…" she couldn't even talk. Her hands were already shaking. There was blood… oh god, there was blood everywhere. Weisz's arm… "Sh-Shiki!" Her voice came out hoarse, weak… She took a shuddering breath, fighting back tears, and then screamed, "Shiki!"

The sound of pounding footsteps. He had been so far away… too far away… _This can't be happening… This…_ "Rebecca!" Shiki was shouting something. Lines of his ether-gear glowing on skin. She couldn't focus. The giant scrap of scrap metal crushing Weisz's arm was slowly being lifted and she couldn't even see it. She brushed her shaking fingers across his jaw and cradled his head in her hands.

"I'm here…" she bit her lip, her vision blurry through the tears. "I'm here, Weisz. Please…" She could feel the blood soaking around her knees as the giant scrap of metal was flung off Weisz' arm. "Please… stay with me." She pressed her forehead to his, lips trembling. "W-weisz… D-don't leave me."

* * *

His arm was completely crushed, they told her. Bones completely shattered. _"There's no way to save it." _Rebecca had spent that night in utter silence, waiting for news, trying so hard not to cry, but realizing more and more that her _everything _was just beyond the bulkhead in the next room.

At some point in all the waiting Witch had rushed her away to make sure she got cleaned up. Rebecca had leaned against the shower wall, watching pink water swirl down the drain, and just burst into tears.

It was hours later when Sister Ivry finally emerged from the infirmary. Everyone had come back for news, but the moment Sister Ivry appeared Rebecca scrambled to her feet, hands clasped. "Is… Is he… Is Weisz—" Everyone waited with bated breath.

"He's stable," she said. The crew let out a collective sigh of relief. "But there's no telling if he'll overcome this, or let _it _overcome _him_."

"W-when… when will we know?" Rebecca whispered, wringing her hands.

"When he wakes up," Sister Ivry replied.

"Can I see him?"

Sister Ivry glanced over Rebecca's shoulder at the rest of the crew. "It might not be a good idea to have everyone crowding in there—"

"It's okay," Shiki said. "Let Rebecca go in. We'll wait out here."

Sister Ivry stepped aside. Rebecca glanced back at her friends, "Thank you." Her legs were shaking as she stepped into the infirmary. Weisz was laying across one of the beds. She couldn't see his right side from where she stood. He looked so peaceful. Though, even from where she stood she could see the bruises and scrapes. She glanced back at Sister Ivry.

"It's alright. You can sit with him for a little while," she said. "I'll give you some privacy." The door slid shut, and Rebecca quickly moved across the room to his side. He was warm, maybe too warm. She hesitated, reaching out to brush his messy hair away from his eyes, and then leaning over to press a lingering kiss to his temple. Even under the sheets, she could see that his arm was gone—bandages pulled tight around his shoulder and his chest.

"You're doing fine," she whispered, "Just a little longer, and everything will be okay." She smiled, taking his left hand in both of hers. "Stay with me, okay? You're a fighter, I know you can do it." She wished there was some way he could respond. Someway she could just know that he heard her, that he _was_ fighting. She let out a shuddering sigh, trying to hold back tears, and pressed a kiss to his knuckles. "I love you, Weisz. I love you _so much_."

* * *

_ Week One_

She had fallen asleep. She blinked, shifting in her seat. A hand gently brushed across the top of her head, tucking stray hair behind her ear. She sat up slowly, her back ached from falling asleep in the old chair. And then she remembered.

"Weisz." She blinked away sleep, glancing over at him. He was awake—his eyes wide, his left hand gently cupping her cheek. "You're—"

"I can't look," he whispered, his voice quavering. His face was white as a sheet. His lip was trembling, "I… I can't look. Tell me… tell me its fine." Her heart was beating fast—she felt sick.

"Weisz—"

"Don't look at me like that!" He snapped, and then his voice dropped, his hand was shaking against her cheek. "P-p-please, Rebecca. Please… tell me its all…" he took in a shuddering breath, "Please tell me my… my arm…"

Rebecca shook her head, "Weisz, please breathe." She stood, leaning over him, cupping his cheeks with both hands. "Look at me. Focus on me. I need you to calm down, sunshine." She brushed her fingers through his hair.

"J-just… just… tell me, please."

"Your arm…" she hesitated. "We couldn't… we had to… we couldn't save it." She swayed a little and Weisz reached out, gripping her hip, to steady her.

"W…what?" His voice was so soft, she could barely hear him. "What are you talking about?"

She didn't want to tell him. He looked terrified. But she didn't want him to face it alone. "You lost your arm, Weisz." She breathed. The expression that came over his face was unrecognizable. He gritted his teeth, closing his eyes tight. His grip on her hip tightened—hard.

"No." He whispered, his voice hoarse. "No. That's impossible. I—" his arm was trembling at her hip, tears welling up in his eyes. "I can still feel it." And then his voice grew louder in panic, as he scrambled to sit up. "I… I can still feel it! It… god, it hurts! It hurts! It—" his eyes fell on the bandages around his shoulder—where his arm used to be—and he deflated. His eyes wide, almost manic, "I… but… I can still…"

Rebecca grabbed both his shoulders and pulled him into her arms, holding him tight. He gripped her shirt at the small of her back with his one hand and burst into tears against her chest.

"Weisz," she whispered, brushing her fingers through his hair, "I'm here for you—always. Okay?"

He didn't respond.

* * *

_Week Two_

He was better, as time went on. Sister Ivry said adjustment would take some time. The way he smiled now—like there was something else there, behind the smile—made Rebecca's heart ache for him. She wanted him to smile for real—just once. She wanted to see one of his old smiles, one that said he was _invincible. _Or one of the ones he shared just with her—the one he gave her when he called her 'Princess.' He hadn't called her 'Princess' since before the accident. She wished, on every star in the galaxy, that she would see him smile without _anything _behind it.

For now, he joked about the whole thing in front of the others. He joked about 'not having enough hands to help out' and he joked about it 'just being a scratch.' But in front of her, he was vulnerable, open… and she knew he was in pain.

Two weeks after the incident, Rebecca brought him breakfast. He was up, fiddling with a part held tight between his knees. His jaw clenched, his brow furrowed. Before she could step fully into the room, he yanked the part up into his hand and chucked it across the room with a yell. It smashed into metal pieces—nuts and bolts—flying everywhere.

"Weisz!" Rebecca gasped. His eyes met hers and instantly filled with shame.

"I… I'm useless one-handed."

"Don't say that!" Rebecca frowned, coming over and setting his plate on the bedside table. "Besides," she sat on the edge of his bed, "Sister Ivry said that we can outfit you with a prosthetic—once you're fully healed."

He didn't respond. He glanced down at his hand, opening and closing it several times, just watching the way it moved.

"Weisz," she whispered, "You know you can talk to me, right?" He glanced up at her—meeting her eyes. There were tears clinging to his eyelashes.

"I just… I just want to hold you, Rebecca. H-how… how can I hold you?"

Rebecca blinked, surprised, and then smiled, "Easy. Like this." She scooted closer to him, slipping her legs over his lap and leaning into his left side, letting him wrap his arm around her shoulders. "See?" She smiled, nuzzling against his neck. "Perfect." She felt his shoulders tremble, and she gently rubbed his back with one hand. He took in a shuddering breath.

"I love you, Princess."

She quickly pulled away, looking him in the eyes. "P-Princess!" She beamed at him, "You haven't called me 'princess' in two weeks!" She felt tears welling up in her eyes, her vision blurring.

"Tsk," he shook his head, offering her a weary smile, "Now, that's just wrong." Rebecca leaned in and brushed her lips against his, hesitating. But he took in a shuddering breath and kissed her again. Of course, they had kissed since the accident. But this time, it was different. It was hungry, more alive. _Almost _like it was before the incident. With every breath, he grew hungrier, and she let herself drown in his taste. It had been too long.

She pulled herself up to straddle him, pressing needy kisses across his jaw, and down his neck. He breathed out a moan, pulling at her shirt and drawing her lips back to his. She pulled away to push him back onto the bed, yanking down her zipper, but the moment he hit the pillows she _saw _him wince, if only for a split second. She paused, her shirt hanging off her shoulders.

"Maybe we should slow down," she whispered, "I don't want to hurt you."

He shook his head once, still catching his breath, "No." And then reached out to brush a strand of hair behind her ear. "I need you now, Princess."

She smiled, leaning close, "For you then." And kissed him softly. "But be gentle."

He let out a dry laugh, "No promises."

* * *

_Week Three_

She was yanked out of sleep in the middle of the night to him screaming, and flailing—as if he was being burned from the inside out. He pulled himself out from under her, clawing at his bandages, screaming at the top of his lungs.

"Weisz!" She had to shout, "Weisz!" She grabbed his hand before he could rip through the bandages. His screams died in his throat. He stared at her like he was seeing a ghost.

"R-Rebecca?"

Her heart was pounding. "Y-you scared me—"

"Oh god," he choked, tears rolling down his cheeks, "It hurts. My arm hurts so bad."

Rebecca reached out and tenderly touched his torn bandages, "Here?" she whispered.

"No," he groaned, "My arm. My whole arm." Then he paused, as if only just remembering. "Fuck. Why do I still feel it? How can I still…?" He collapsed against her and she pulled him tight into her arms, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck.

"Shh… I'm here for you. I'm here." He pressed his face into the crook of her neck, and she sighed, breathing in the smell of his shampoo, and then began to hum. She used to hum the same song all the time, teasingly, or when they were cuddling in bed. Now, it seemed that she hummed it more often when he was broken—defeated. She hummed it in the shower when she washed his hair. She hummed it when he couldn't go to sleep. She hummed it when he felt useless.

He stopped shaking after a moment, and Rebecca breathed out the last words of the song as he pulled away. "Please don't take… my sunshine… away."

"I'm sorry," he whispered, not able to look her in the eye.

"For what?"

"Waking you, again."

She frowned, and then cupped his chin with her hand. "Weisz Steiner," she smiled, "I love you more than the billions of stars outside this ship, I love you _more _than the millions of planets, and moons, and I love you more than all the space dust the cosmos can provide. I love you more than you can _comprehend_. More than _I _can comprehend. So don't _ever _apologize for anything like that. Didn't I tell you I'd be here for you? Always?"

"But what's in it for you?" He whispered.

Rebecca narrowed her eyes. "That's the _thief_ part of you talking, soft-man. Nothing. Isn't that what love's all about? Wouldn't you do the same for me?"

That smile, that smile that didn't reach his sad eyes. "Yeah. I would."

* * *

_Week Five_

"How does it feel?" Sister Ivry frowned, steadying his arm. Rebecca gently squeezed his hand. Weisz let out a breath.

"Clunky," he said.

"It will take some time to get used to it," Sister Ivry replied. "But now that the implants have healed…" she smiled a little, "It should _work_. It's just going to take some practice."

Weisz glanced over at Rebecca, and she nodded. "Try it out."

He took in a breath, closed his eyes. His brow furrowed and Rebecca watched as the cool metal fingers on his new hand moved.

"W-Weisz!" She gasped, throwing her arms around his shoulders. "You're doing it! Open your eyes! It's working!" His eyes snapped open as she jostled him, and he subconsciously moved his right hand to steady himself against the wall. His eyes widened as he realized what he'd done, and he swung his arm out in front of him to admire it.

"It really works," he breathed, moving his fingers one at a time.

"What are you going to do first?!" Rebecca squealed, "You could do anything! Play a game, fiddle with your parts… or whatever you do with those! Or—"

"I know what I want to do first," he said, standing and turning to face her.

"What?" She grinned, but before she could question him further, he reached out and cupped both her cheeks in his hand. The metal was cool and smooth against her skin. She felt her face go hot. "W—" And then he pulled her into his arms, pulling her up off her feet, into a tight embrace.

"I just want to hold you, Rebecca," he whispered, his breath tickling her neck. She clutched his shirt at his back and wrapped her legs around his waist—trying to hide her tears. "I just want to hold you _for real_."

When she pulled away to look at him, his arms still wrapped around her middle, she whispered, "Why don't you smile, soft-man."

He did, but it still wasn't the same.

* * *

_Week Six_

He thought no one had noticed, but she had. She _always _noticed.

He was avoiding using his right arm.

* * *

_Week Eight_

It was the most beautiful planet she'd ever seen. Surging waterfalls, plunging cliffs—which made for incredible views. Of course, just because the planet was beautiful on the outside, didn't mean it was beautiful on the _inside—_so to speak. They had stopped there for the views—for the tallest waterfall in the cosmos—but Rebecca had told him that the big cities had almost as much scum and villainy as Guilst had.

"Don't stay long," Witch had warned.

"Don't worry about it!" Rebecca had waved, "We're just stopping to see the waterfall. We'll only be a little while, and we'll be on our way again." She was so excited it. She always was about visiting new places. Watching her now, as they moved through the streets—Rebecca's arm clasped around his, he wished he could have her energy… her excitement. He felt sick to the stomach thinking about it, but he was sure he hadn't smiled—_really_ smiled, since his goddam arm… _What… what's wrong with me? _

They took the main road out of town—away from the noise of the capitol city. From there, Weisz knew, it wasn't a long hike to the bottom of the cascading falls. Shiki led the way, talking to Homura and Pino the whole way. Rebecca lagged behind, pulling Weisz with her.

"Weisz," she said. He turned to glance down at her. In the light of evening, she was beautiful. The planet's sun tinted her hair gold. She looked like an angel.

"Yeah?" He whispered.

"You alright?" She said, squeezing his arm. He took her hand, entwining his fingers with his. Her skin was warm against his, and he squeezed her hand.

"Yeah, I'm alright," he said.

"I'm just," she took a breath, "I'm just excited we're here together. W-when I was younger, and reading about the stars and all the places I wanted to travel… it's silly, but I always thought of these falls as being so romantic—something out of a storybook. I wanted to share them with someone special." She stopped walking, turning to look up at him, her expression perfectly serious. "You _are _that someone special. You know that, right?"

"I know," he whispered. "You're that someone special for me too." Rebecca leaned in to kiss him, brushing her hand against his cheek, and then through his hair. He breathed out a sigh. She grinned when they pulled away.

"You're so soft."

"You said it first!" He protested.

She ignored his gibe and whispered. "Will you smile for me?" _That question again. _She had been asking him that so often, and he _knew _why, but for some reason, he couldn't smile—not the way she really wanted him too. He sighed again but then smiled down at her. She brushed her thumb across his bottom lip and leaned forward to kiss him again. "Come on. The others got ahead." _It still wasn't what she was looking for. _

As they moved on, the thunder of rushing water steadily grew louder. Just around one last bend, the falls came into sight. A huge, white roaring river—just above the trees they could make out the enormous falls. Weisz could look up at the clouds and still not see the end. It looked like the water poured down straight from heaven. But from where they stood, they couldn't see the bottom of the falls beyond the trees. Shiki was already tossing enormous rocks into the rushing current. When he saw Weisz and Rebecca approached he let out a laugh that they could _just barely _hear over the roaring over the water. "This is _amazing_!" He shouted, chucking another rock into the water.

The sun was setting just ahead of them, painting the sky purple and pink. Weisz glanced over at Rebecca—her eyes almost had stars in them. "This is… so beautiful," she breathed. Then she spun around to face Weisz. "The special place is right at the bottom of the falls. You'll come with me, right?"

"Of course."

"Shiki! Homura!" She called out to them. Shiki was lifting a giant boulder towards the water. "We're going up to the very bottom of the falls."

"Cool! I'm staying here," Shiki shouted. "I want to cross the river."

Weisz rolled his eyes, "You'll—"

"I won't fall!" Shiki laughed, the glow of ether gear lighting his arms.

"Right," Weisz sighed. _Gravity. _

"Come on!" Rebecca pulled Weisz by the hand, towards an old trail that went up into the trees. They didn't have to walk very long before they came to a large clearing where the falls hit the ground. The mist spray filled the entire clearing, brushing through his hair like a cool breeze. Massive amounts of water slammed down onto the rocks with a roar that Weisz almost had to shout over.

"You can't even see the top," he said, straining his neck to try and get a glance. Somewhere, thousands of feet above, was the other half of the river.

Rebecca took in a deep breath, he watched her shoulders rise and fall and then she grinned. "I wanna touch it!"

"Of course, you do," he rolled his eyes, but she was already dashing towards the foot of the falls. Weisz followed her. The closer they got—the thicker the spray became. Rebecca left him behind to hop up onto a huge boulder beside the rushing water. Then she turned back to him with a grin.

"Weisz! Come up here."

"I'm good," he said.

"Come on!" she groaned, and she reached out to grab his arm—his _mechanical _arm. He subconsciously jerked away, surprising even himself. Rebecca's eyes filled with shock and then worry. "Weisz!" He blinked. _I… what's wrong with me?! _He turned quickly, moving away from the falls. "Weisz! Hold on. Weisz, wait—"

He paused. Had she stopped talking? Or had the falls drowned out her voice? No… something… Weisz spun around. "Becca…?" She was standing, straight as a rail, her hands clenched into fists, her eyes wide with fear. Beside her stood a man that Weisz barely recognized. He was tall, pale, with one gold tooth shimmering under his upper lip. It was fake gold, Weisz remembered. And this… this guy…

"Don't move, Steiner. I swear to god, if you move, I'll blow this bitch's brains out." He shoved the enormous gun up against Rebecca's cheek. She flinched.

Weisz raised his hands slowly. "Weasel Morse. How the hell did you find me?"

"Oh, that?" Morse laughed, his hand was shaking. Weisz narrowed his eyes, watching his trigger finger. "_That _was just pure luck. Isn't it funny, how _being a thief_ can just come back and bite you in the ass? I happened to see you walking through town. And I recognized your ugly face. Followed you out here."

"How?"

"Shielding tech, you idiot," Morse grinned. He was missing another tooth. His mouth looked rotten. Rebecca turned her head. "Don't move, wench!" Morse's grip on her shoulder tightened. She winced.

"What the fuck do you want, Morse," Weisz hissed.

"I think you know what I want, Steiner," Morse snorted. "You owe me. _Big time_."

Weisz laughed humorlessly. "If you think I'm giving you _anything_, you're out of your damn mind."

"Oh, really?" The gun pressed deeper into Rebecca's cheek. "Because I _heard_, this one is _'that someone special_.' Isn't that right, _princess?"_

Weisz gritted his teeth. "Don't you ever call—" Rebecca moved before Weisz even had the change to finish his sentence. She grabbed at Morse's gun, and then bit down hard on the hand gripping her shoulder. Weasel Morse screamed, jumping back.

"You fucking _bitch!_" Morse grabbed Rebecca's arm and yanked her down with all his strength. She stumbled and fell on her back, her arm stretched out over riverbed rocks.

"Rebecca—!"

Morse raised his leg over her wrist and stomped down _hard. _Rebecca screamed, writhing in agony under his boot. Her arm was twisted at an odd angle—her eyes wide, her scream drowned out by the sound of the waterfall. But Weisz had heard it—that _sickening crunch_ as her bone broke in two.

It was in the blink of an eye. The waterfall was gone. Weasel and Rebecca were gone. He was back in the scrapyard, just as the hull of that old ship came crashing down onto his arm. That sickening crunch—he didn't hear it. He felt it—in the very core of his being. He felt it with every nerve, every muscle, every bone. It took his breath away, it made him nauseous, dizzy, weak in the knees. He felt paralyzed. _I can't… _

Morse was in front of him again, stepping on Rebecca's twisted arm, yanking her up by her hair. His gun was pressed against her cheek again. "Where'd you go, Steiner! I swear on the cosmos, I'll blast her pretty brains all over these rocks!" He was screaming. Weisz could hardly hear him over the pounding of his own heart. Everything seemed to be in slow motion. "Hey, are you listening to me, Steiner?! I'll do it."

_I can't. _He took in a shuddering breath. His arm was killing him. _I _have _to. _He had to protect her. He had never been this sure of anything in his life, not since before the incident. He raised his fist, pressing his hand to the cool metal of his arm, and he smiled.

In the next _half-second_ wires, cogs, nuts and bolts, and metal that made up his mechanical arm all shifted. The moment they all clicked back into place he swung his arm out. _Fire_! Morse didn't even have time to think. One second he was leaning over Rebecca, and the next second he was shot backward by a laser powerful enough to disrupt the flow of the waterfall. He slammed back against one of the larger boulders by the falls and slumped forward unconscious.

Forgetting about his arm-turned-gun, Weisz dove towards Rebecca, hitting the rocks with his knees just as he reached her. He reached out with a warm, shaking hand, cupping her cheek. "Rebecca… Rebecca?"

Her eyes fluttered open. "Hey, sunshine," she whispered, "You did it."

He sighed with relief and then leaned over to kiss her, resting his forehead against hers. "Let's get you back to Edens, okay?"

"What about…" she narrowed her eyes, testing out the words on her tongue, "_Weasel…_ Morse?"

Weisz glanced over her shoulder at where Morse lay against the rocks. He snorted. "He isn't getting up again for a long time. And when he does… I don't think he'll be following us. Those burns are going to scar." He hoped the burns would remind the bastard every day why it wasn't a good idea to chase after them.

"I'm sorry," Rebecca whispered.

"For what?" Weisz frowned.

"For… reaching out for your arm, before Weasel showed up. I've known you… you weren't feeling good about it and I pushed you…" she trailed off as Weisz raised his mechanical arm. Rebecca's eyes widened.

"You… you used Machina Maker on your arm…?"

Weisz offered her an arrogant grin. "I _did. _And it _worked._" He felt the warmth of his Ether Gear at his fingers as he raised his hand over his arm. Metal parts shifted back into place—the way they had been before. He tested the movement of his fingers before he glanced back at Rebecca to see tears welling up in her eyes.

"Rebecca?" He whispered. "What—"

"You smiled," she breathed. "You… you _really_ smiled."

* * *

_Week Ten_

The light of a nearby sun filtered in through their viewer, tinting Weisz's hair gold. It looked like a halo around him as he leaned over her with that crooked smile. Bare skin against bare skin, the cool metal of his arm just barely touching her ribs where his hand was planted against the mattress. "Good morning, Princess," he breathed. She sat up to meet him and kissed him softly once.

"Good morning, sunshine," she smiled. And he smiled back. There was nothing bad behind that smile. It was a smile that reached his eyes, laugh lines crinkling barely at the corners. It was a _real_ smile. Her heart melted.

"I love you, Weisz," she breathed, cupping his cheek with her hand. He tilted his head to kiss her again, leaning closer—Rebecca wrapped her arm around his shoulder. His back was warm from the sunlight.

He pulled away—his expression soft. "I love you too, beautiful."


End file.
